


Boom! Goes The Canon

by EternalRedWolfe



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2020-07-28 03:36:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20057368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalRedWolfe/pseuds/EternalRedWolfe
Summary: Inspired by the BOOM! Studio comic series and Wesley belief that Cordelia was a teacher.





	1. Welcome Back To The Hellmouth... Again

The lounge was empty when Rupert Giles walked in. The California natives and their peers had left to chaperone the students in the grounds, or to take advantage of the near never ending sunshine that he could only assume gave Sunnydale it's name. England might look dreary most of the time, but at least the weather was comfortable. As he bit into his apple, he claimed a seat on the sofa and immediately felt something digging into his leg. He reached between the cushions, pulled out the protrusion. He frowned as he read the title:  _ A Brief History of Premonitory Abilities & How To Nurture Them _ by Dr. Addison Leary. Of all the places to find this book, the teacher's lounge of Sunnydale High School most certainly didn't make the list.

"Um, that's my book." The dark-haired teacher that he had seen in the hallways over the last week and in the parking lot that very morning, stepping out of a dark red Corvette was tentatively making her way towards him.

He stood up, book in hand, inspecting the well-worn places. "Is it a professional interest you have in it? Only I doubt Principal Snyder would be very open to the idea of it on the curriculum."

"Snyder only does what he thinks big shots are doing. Or what he thinks will guarantee him a grant that he can put into his own back pocket. " Giles chuckled. "I say my book. It's... On loan from my mother. Either I put up with her nonsense or I hear about all the ways I've disappointed her, starting with a rant about how I didn't marry money or pursue her dream of being an actress, so please."

He handed it back to her. "Do you believe in that sort of thing?"

"No. No no no no no no no no." She shoved the book deep into her bag. "You're new here? The librarian."

"Rupert Giles. And if I'm not mistaken from a very thorough seminar from Snyder, you're the English teacher."

"And Psychology. I'm Cordelia Chase."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Are you heading out?"

"Work to catch up on in the library."

"I'll walk with you. It's on my way."

They took to the hallways. "So, what brings you to Sunnydale."

"A change of scenery. It doesn't get much different from London."

"Where were you before this?" His answer was cut off by a high pitch giggle down the hall. "Just a sec."

Cordelia walked up to three girls standing at the lockers in the middle of a heated conversation.

"Harmony. Willow. Tara."

"Hi, Miss Chase."

"Harmony, you're in my class the period after next."

"Yep." The blonde woman's face brightened even more than possible. "And I'll be at tryouts this afternoon, too. I'm uber excited."

Cordelia matched her brightness. "That's great. But you're not going to have to worry about tryouts if you don't contribute to my class today."

"What?"

"I suggest you go outside, soak up some sunshine and make sure you've done the reading for my class, otherwise you can practice for next year's tryouts."

"You can't do that."

"Wanna bet?"

The student, Harmony stalked off. "As for you two," she turned to Willow and Tara. "Principal Snyder will lecture anyone he considers is loitering." She craned her head over Willow's shoulder. "Same goes for you, Xander."

The open locker door slammed shut. Xander dramatically clutched his chest. "Miss. I'm just standing here getting books out of my locker, getting ready for your class."

"Uh huh. So if I check your text book during my class I'll find you studying the themes of our first book this semester and not whatever some random superhero I have no interest in is doing."

"I'm deeply insulted."

"Ok. Same goes for you. Be prepared or get detention. Go." Giles and Cordelia watched the trio walk away.

"That was interesting."

"They're good kids but if you don't have a firm standing with them, they'll walk all over you." She gestured to herself. "Especially if you're as young as me. The trick is to know what makes them tick and threaten to take it away from them."

"I'm not sure that's particularly..."

"And what makes you tick?" she asked as they came to her classroom door.

Giles smiled. "Enjoy the rest of your book. His theory on Premonitory Projection is fascinating, if that's your sort of thing." He took off down the hall towards the library.

"Hey! Spoilers!"


	2. Let's Hear It For Earthquakes

"Hi."

"What is it Buffy?" Cordelia didn't look up. She continued scribbling on the sheets of paper as her final class of the milled out of the room.

"Um, Miss Chase, I wanted to talk to you about the line-up for the squad next week."

Cordelia let a few seconds pass before putting the cap back on her pen and looking up. "The line-up is final."

"But Harmony completely messed up in practice the other day. How did she make the team, and I didn't?"

"Because Harmony has been showing up to practice. Buffy, you've been on my squad for 3 weeks. That's 9 practices. You've been to 4. A full first week and once this week."

"I'm good."

"And that's the shame. I know how good you are. You pick up the moves instantly and you pull them off flawlessly, without any work going into them. But there are girls who work their asses off and come to practice. That I know I can rely on."

"There's just a lot going on right now."

I know. I get that. Moving to a new town, your Dad being in LA... I sympathise with that, I really do." She sighed. "Which is why I'm going to give you some leeway. You have to have a flawless attendance from here on out and I'll consider you for the next game." Buffy nodded, her blonde high ponytail bobbing with her. "Now, normally I expect my squad to have a minimum grade of B- in my classes. But I'll let you in if you can get Cs for the rest of the semester, just until I'm sure you're settled in."

"Seriously?" Buffy asked. Cordelia answered with a wave of her hand. "Why?"

"You're so bright, Buffy, I can see it. You just have some time management problems. And attitude, according to your transcripts. I know how disruptive home life can get. I just want to give you a chance to prove yourself."

"Thank you."

"Go. I expect to see you at practice tomorrow. And work on that C."

"Oh, don't worry," Buffy reassured as she backed out of the classroom, "I'm heading to the library right now."

* * *

The librarian and the two students looked up as the doors swung open and Buffy bounced in, squealing. 

"Bad day, Buff?" Xander asked, tossing the apple he was eating in the air and catching it.

"No. Good day. Very good day in fact." Buffy sat down next to Willow, opposite Xander at the study desk and began pulling out books from her bag."

Xander jumped up from his seat. "Whoa... Are you... Actually doing homework?"

Buffy shrugged. "Just English. Miss Chase said that she'll give my minimum grade requirement some leeway to a C Given my situation." She didn't miss the alarmed expression on Giles' face. "The move." Xander made an inappropriate comment about a C but Buffy quickly answered him with a quick kick to his shin. "Next time I'll get your C."

Willow and Tara giggled. Giles threw an irritated look at Xander quickly, then smiled reassuringly at Buffy. "That's wonderful news." He turned to walk into his office.

"Yup. And she said that if I have a flawless attendance record, she'll consider putting me on the starting line-up for the next game."

Giles spun around. "What?"

"Well, not next week's game, the game after."

"Buffy, I appreciate that you have hobbies but you still have a responsibility to your slayer duties."

"I know."

"You can't shirk them, you know."

"I. Know."

"So you'll be giving up an evening every week to... To... Cheer. Instead of to train."

"No. It's three evenings a week." She rolled her eyes as Giles spluttered. "Giles, come on. It's 4 and a half hours a week."

Willow perked up. "Consider it 4 and a half hours a week of training that you don't have to supervise."

Buffy nodded enthusiastically. "My thoughts exactly."

"Buffy..."

"Giles... If you don't like the arrangement I have, take it up with Miss Chase, ok? I've done everything I can to keep everyone happy. Including me." And with that, the conversation ended, Buffy turned her attention wholeheartedly to her books, turning out Giles completely.

* * *

Cordelia rolled her neck as, the next morning, she placed her lunch containers into the fridge and checked her cubby for papers. She picked up a notice from Snyder, the only person still using the old mail system, and yawned, rolling it up into a ball as she walked out into the hall. She was poised and ready to throw it into the recycling when she heard her name. She shoved it into her bag and turned.

The librarian smiled as he approached her.

_ Shit.  _ "Morning."  _ Shit shit shit shit.  _ "Richard."

Giles turned around and, seeing no one there, corrected her. "Rupert."

"I knew that." She felt the blush reaching up her neck. She wasn't a woman to be easily embarrassed but something this week had thrown her off her game. She was soft and, dare she say it, nice. "It's a little early for you to be here, isn't it?"

Giles smiled. "I got caught up with some reading last night." He stifled a yawn.

"You slept here?"

"Afraid time got rather away from me." Changing the subject he asked, "May I walk you to your classroom? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Ok." They walked for awhile in silence until Giles commented on the weather. "Really, your big conversation piece is the weather?"

"No."

"I didn't think so." Cordelia smiled, knowing what was coming. She turned to face him, swinging her hair as she did so it just about grazed him.

"I want to talk to you about Buffy Summers."

Her smile fell. "Oh." Disappointment crept into her and she turned and began walking again. Rupert Giles could easily win the accolade of Cordelia Chase's Least Desirable Men, but it had been a long time since she had been out with anyone.  _ There's a reason for that, Cordy.  _ "What about Buffy?"

"I understand that she is on your...team."

"Squad."

"Right. Anyway. Is it really necessary to be demanding so much from her for a hobby?"

"Whoa..." Cordelia halted as they came to her door. "A hobby? Seriously? You really don't get cheerleading, do you?"

"It's just... She has a lot of pressure coming on her." Giles held open the door of her classroom for her. "She has a part-time job, settling into a new town, school-work... Other responsibilities. I just think 4 and a half hours a week is a lot to ask from such a young girl."

"Why do you have such an interest in her?"

The question caught Giles off guard. "I don't."

"Clearly you do."

"I merely, overheard her speaking in the library with her friends. I feel sorry for the girl. She has a lot on her at such a young age. It seems the pressure for college starts at such a younger age today."

"Well, if Buffy works hard and comes to practice, she'll have her pick of colleges."

" But... It's such a financial strain as well. The costumes -"

"Uniforms."

"-props, journeys..."

"Are you talking to the football coaches about their teams?"

"No." The look on Cordelia's face suggested that she had already won this argument. "This isn't men’s sports vs women's sports. It's concern.... About... pressure." 

"I know all about the financial strain. Which is why I pay for as much of it as I can myself. And why, out of the 15 girls on my squad, 2 of them are from rich families: Harmony Kendall and Blue LaRoux. Which..." She inched closer to Giles. "...isn't her real last name. Her mother changed it when she decided she wanted her daughter to have an edgy name." She raised her hands in confusion and walked up to her desk.

Confused, Giles followed her. "Cordelia." She turned to him. "I don't think you understand what it's like to come from single parent household-"

Anger boiled in her like she had never felt before. "You're right. I don't. My parents are still married to this day because my mother's money is paying for my father's legal fees - he's in prison for tax evasion. And my mother never filed for divorce because she was either too drunk or too hungover to hold a pen. Tell you what though, you think Buffy is craving attention and praise from teachers because she doesn't get it at home, send her my way. I have tons of tips for that. Tell me..." She put her hands on her hips. "Do you come from a single parent household, Mr. Giles?"

Confused and embarrassed, Giles remained silent until he realised she expected an answer. "Yes -"

Cordelia's anger dissipated as the answer started but the rest of it was cut off as books started shimmying off the shelves and posters shook free.

Giles looked around. "Is that--?"

"An earthquake." The shaking got stronger and tiles were loosened from the roof. Cordelia grabbed Giles hand and rushed for the nearest doorway. As they came to a stop, she lost her balance but Giles managed to steady her. She squeezed her eyes closed inhaled and counted to 4, exhalated, counted to 4 and repeated the process until the shaking stopped. She opened her eyes to Giles surveying the damage: mostly aesthetic, though some structural. She realised she was still holding Giles' hand and let it go. "First earthquake?"

"Yes. That was quite something."

Cordelia laughed. "Yeah."

"Will the school be closed for the day?"

"Unlikely. Snyder will probably tell any classes affected to take the gym, cafeteria, sit outside. Go  to the library." She ran her hand over her forehead and winced.

"You're bleeding."

She pulled her hand away and notice and noticed the dark red on her fingers. "Is it bad?"

He placed his hand gently on the back of her neck, tilting her head back, inspecting the wound. He brushed a few stray strands of hair from the wound and she winced again. "Sorry. You'll have a nice bruise but no stitches."

"Ok."

"I have a first aid kit in the library, I can clean you up."

She followed him down the hall. "Why does a library need a first aid kit?"

He smiled at her as they stepped over odd pieces of debris. "For situations when the school infirmary is closed."

She smiled. They took the turn for the library. Cordelia took in the fissure in the ground leading to the double doors. Giles pushed them open. "Uh oh."

Giles stood, frozen, taking in the shattered glass, fallen shelves, bits of collapsed roof and protrusion in the middle of the library.

* * *

Surprising everyone, Snyder agreed to close the school. He insisted, however, that the faculty do as much clean up themselves as possible, before the maintenance crews could get to work over the weekend.

Cordelia surveyed her classroom as she passed it that afternoon. A few broken tiles swept away, posters rehung. No one would have guessed that that had been the cite of her injury. Once she had tackled her room, she went to other teachers, and offered her assistance. Given the state the library was in that morning she wasn't surprised that she didn't see Giles for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon. Carrying the coffees and side stepping the fissure, she insisted that she was merely thanking him for his care this morning, and to apologise for their fight getting a little out of hand.

She pushed her way into the library and put the two coffees onto the counter. "Aw look at this." She looked over to Buffy and Willow. "The women are sweeping up broken glass..." She walked up the platform where Giles and Xander were struggling with a bookshelf. "...while the men take care of the heavy lifting."

"We flipped a coin," Willow said as she turned a book upside down and shook out pieces of glass. "They lost."

"Uh, Xander, you're seriously going to have to come down from there. If Sny- Principal Snyder comes in and sees you handling anything expensive, he's going to claim you damaged it and insist you pay."

"Fine." He passed her on the stairs. "I'll be tool guy." The group watched him as he walked over the counter and reached into a work box. He turned around with a hammer and level in his hands. "What?"

Cordelia smiled brightly at Giles as he tried to suppress his own amusement.

"Be careful," he offered, sleeves rolled up, as she grabbed the other side of the bookshelf.

"I will. Oh, hang on..." She kicked back some debris and pulled from it an obstruction. "There." She held up the battle axe.

"I... I was just about to suggest we, uh, check..."

"Uh huh." She tossed the axe down the stairs as the replaced the furniture. "Why is there a battle axe in the library?"

Buffy jumped up. "Because!" Cordelia frowned.

Giles shot her a look. "I'm working on getting funding for the library, from an organisation in England. They specialise in Medieval weaponry and I was thinking I could present a research paper to them."

The moved to the next fallen shelf. "You don't sound entirely sure about that."

"He is," Xander piped up. "He's just nervous." He and Buffy shared a laugh.

Cordelia looked at a confused Giles. "About what?"

"First earthquake." Willow shot her friends a look.

They continued working well into the day, taking only one break when Buffy, Willow and Xander went for food and Cordelia and Giles sipped cold coffee and ate their own lunches. Cordelia sat on the counter while Giles faced her from the chair in his office.

"So, battle axes. Fascinating stuff."

"Mmm, quite."

"Then fascinate me."

"Well, there's a myth that excalibur was originally a battle axe and before it was placed in the stone it was reshaped as a sword to keep it's legend hidden."

C ordelia smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Fascinating."

The sun was setting when Willow began packing up her bag. "I gotta head. I told Tara I'd help her babysit her sister."

"I can give you a ride." Cordelia clapped dust off her hands.

"Thanks." Willow smiled.

"Anyone else?"

Xander raised his hand. "I could do with not walking."

"Buffy?"

Buffy glanced out a window at the sun. "Yeah. Please."

Cordelia looked up at Giles. "Need help getting home? Or do you think you can navigate the earthquake parties on your own."

He smiled. "I'll be fine."

"Ok. I'll see you Monday."

He watched as she walked out with Willow and Xander.

Buffy walked up to him, shaking her head. "Clueless."

"Sorry?"

"You're kidding right?" Giles' face was blank. "Giles, no one cares that much about medieval weaponry. She was completely flirting with you." Before Giles could argue with her, Buffy was breaking the "no running in the hallways" rule and chasing after her friends.


	3. Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the best laid plans go awry.

Normality resumed in Sunnydale High School the following Monday. People spoke about the earthquake for a few hours on Saturday and then it was all forgotten about, unsurprising as it seemed the tremors hit hardest at the school. Giles had been locked in the library all weekend and most of Monday trying to get the library somewhat accessible and safe for students, taking time away only to go home, shower, shave and change. Sleeping and eating he reserved for his office.

Buffy walked into the library. "Wow, it looks almost as good as new. Which, considering how it looked before, is pretty much an improvement." She got no reaction from Giles, whose eyes were glued to the pages of a book, investigating a vampire sect she had encountered over the weekend. She leaned on the counter. "I saw Miss Chase today," she needled. "She looks pretty today."

"She always looks pretty," Giles mumbled. He looked up at Buffy, whose eyes were wide and her mouth was agape. "I mean, why would she look any different today," he backtracked, "I mean... What do you want?"

"I was just wondering..." She traced circles on the counter top with her index finger. "... If you had any info on the vamps and when you were going to ask out Miss Chase." Buffy watched Giles sputter for a few seconds before she put her plan in motion. "Ok, then I'll just tell her that you're interested and she can ask you out." Buffy turned and had almost reached the door when Giles stopped her.

"Stop." He watched Buffy display her most angelic face. "I can do it."

* * *

When the bell rang signalling the end of lunch, Giles intercepted Cordelia on her way to the classroom. "How was your weekend?"

"Oooo, uneventful. Yours?"

"I was putting the library back together. Was your home alright after the earthquake?"

"Yeah, a few pieces out of place but my roommate took care of it."

"Cordelia." He looked down but she ducked her head catching his eye, smiling up at him. He returned her smile with ease. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Smiling, Cordelia answered. "No." Her smile dropped in disbelief.

"Right. Great. Excellent. Have a good day." He turned and moved through the students in the direction of the library.

_ Shit _ . Cordelia hurried down the hall after him. "Giles." She moved past the students and caught up to him as he reached the stairwell. She grabbed his arm. "Giles." She pulled him up to the wall by the stairs. "I didn't mean that." He looked at her questioningly. "I meant. Yes to dinner. No to tonight. I'm having dinner with my grandmother tonight." The bell rang again. "I have to get to class. My students will kill me if I'm late."

"Yes, of course... Go." Giles couldn't keep the smile from his face.

"Tomorrow night instead?"

He simply nodded. As Cordelia walked down the hall, neither teacher nor librarian could keep from smiling.

* * *

The next day passed by so slowly. She allowed herself to be inundated with work just to make it go faster. She hadn't been this excited to go on a date in a really long time and she was exceptionally surprised that it was a stuffy, nervous, older librarian who brought out this gleeful person.

When she jumped out of the shower, she caught herself smiling. She missed this person.

She curled her hair and carefully applied her makeup before putting on the dress that she had taken great care in choosing. She didn't want to wear something was completely not her but she didn't want to scare him off wither. She chose a yellow bardot top, cropped short enough to show just a little bit of skin, black, wide legged slacks and nude pumps.

Once she made sure she had her phone and keys she checked herself in the full length mirror, pushing a few wisps of hair back behind her ear and nodded to herself in satisfaction.

She left her room, leaning against the door jamb as the nausea took effect and a dizziness swarmed in her head.

She pushed the sickness down as far as she could.  _ Not tonight. Please, not tonight... _

The wave passed shortly and, giving herself a minute, she continued to the front door before collapsing in front of it and seeing black.

* * *

Cordelia had done a pretty great job of avoiding Giles the next day, she had gone from her car to her classroom and stayed there for the day. She figured he would steer clear of her classroom given the events, or lack thereof, of the night before. When she finally crawled her way off the floor and into the bedroom, four hours had passed. When she had finished dry heaving, it had been 5. The restaurant was closed and she didn't have a contact number for him. When she woke up, she remembered the wild new age of email and wanted to crawl under the duvet cover again, the loose curls in her hair would be her reminder for the day. She usually tried to add a pop of colour to her daily outfits but today, the only colour was the white lines and hemming of her black skirt and top. 

As the lunch hour ticked slowly by, and her painkillers began to slowly wear off, Cordelia realised she would have to venture out into the hallways.

She walked slowly to the teachers lounge, hoping against hope that Giles wasn't there. But as she rounded the corner into the teachers lounge, she spotted him in the corner talking to Mrs. Miller.  _ Screw it, I'll get a soda.  _ She turned back out the door.

"Cordelia."  _ Damn it.  _ She turned back around and walked over to Giles and Miss Miller. She smiled brightly at them. "I was just telling Mr. Giles how you are our favourite Sunnydale alum."

"That's what I get for living in Sunnydale my whole life." She rubbed her temples.

"And I've invited Rupert to our Book Club on Sunday."

"What?" A phone buzzed as Cordelia looked at Giles, surprised. Mrs. Miller rooted in her pocket and pulled out a flipphone. 

"Oh, excuse me." Mrs. Miller left Giles and Cordelia standing there.

"You're coming to book club?"

"She didn't so much as invite me as suggest I come and then not take no for an answer."

Cordelia laughed. "That sounds about right. She's great. She was always my favourite teacher." Cordelia walked over to the sink, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She moved back to Giles, sipping her water. "I'm so sorry." She glanced down at her hands hugging the glass. "But an apology isn't good enough."

"Do I get an explanation or just the apology?"

"I was out the door. I was dressed and ready. Look-" She grabbed a fistful of hair. "I even curled my hair for it. I just... I got really sick. Mind numbingly... Sick. I just needed to curl into a ball. I... Kinda passed out. I'm sorry, I should have called." She winced for the tirade that would come at her.

Giles forehead furrowed in concern. "Are you ok? Are you feeling better?"

"A little. I've been dosing up with ibuprofen for the day."

He studied her surprise. "What?"

"Not a lot of guys I know would ask the girl who stood them up how she was feeling. None of them would, actually. God, I really need to get some new guys in my life."

Giles closed the distance between them. "May we speak privately?"

"Yeah. My classroom?" She tried to keep her jitters to a minimum as the walked to the classroom, Giles trailing behind Cordelia. Reaching her desk, she took two pills from her pocket and chased them with a gulp of water. She turned to Giles. "So. Do you want to reschedule?" He looked up at her through his eyelashes, an unpromising look on his face. "Or not."

"I'm sorry. I would like to. I just think this isn't the right time for me. New to the town; new job. I don't know many people here. In fact, last night was going to be the first non-school related interaction." He smiled at his own self-deprecation. "Maybe..."

"Not a good time," Cordelia agreed. "For either of us. You're right." The final bell rang and students began milling into the classroom, Willow Rosenberg claiming her seat at the front, Xander Harris behind her and Buffy Summers beside him, all greeting Giles with smiles and waves.

"I should let you start your." He walked to the door.

"Gi-Mr. Giles." Cordelia followed him to the door. "For the record, it's not just those kids that you're a hit with."


	4. Fortunes

Giles spent the next week satisfied with the harmless flirting that took place in the halls with Cordelia, given the last year he, he realised, he didn't want anything too serious. Perhaps Cordelia not showing up that night was a blessing in disguise.  
  
Buffy slammed the book shut, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced up at her through the open doorway. He knew what she was going to say and he knew his answer. Giles wouldn't crack. He simply would not do it.  
  
"Come on, it's one hour. Come on." Buffy caught herself before she stomped her foot on the ground like a child but luckily a thought came to her. "Let me hang with Willow and Xander for a couple of hours tonight or else I'll start singing 'Friday'."  
  
"I don't know what that is."  
  
Off-key and off-pitch, Buffy began her rendition. "'Friday, Friday, gotta-'"  
  
Giles held up his hand to silence her. "Alright. You can have a couple of hours off tonight. Just never sing to me again. Please."  
  
Buffy bounced off, clapping, down the hall towards Willow and Xander.   
  
He turned, heading back to the library to get some work done before tonight and came face to face with Cordelia.  
  
She all but jumped, pressing her hand to her chest, catching her breath. "God, you scared me."  
  
"Yes, of course, how silly of me to not announce myself in a hallway full of people." He took in her face, dark circles, minimal makeup, and hair pulled back in a tight bun. He didn't know Cordelia Chase very well, but something was very clear from the first time he met her and the ensuing harmless flirtations that occurred since then: she took the utmost pride in her appearance. Something was off. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah." She rubbed at her temples. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep very well."  
  
"Ah. Already have the students taking tests this early in the year? Or did you take a personal night?" His polite smile dropped at her frown and the realization of what he was insinuating. "In which case that's none of my business and I completely apologize for--"  
  
"Relax. It was neither. I just... Had some weird dreams last night."  
  
"A psychology teacher with bad dreams."  
  
"Sounds like the start of a bad joke." Cordelia glanced at her watch. "I really have to go." Giles stepped aside for her to pass. "Sorry. Have a good weekend."

* * *

The counter felt cold on her head and she loved it.  
  
"Cordelia." She raised her eyes but kept her head down. Her grandmother was stirring something at the hob. "Finish your lunch, my dear. It'll give you energy."  
  
"I don't need energy."  
  
"You told that to your face?" Cordelia's head shot up as indignation shot through her. She cupped her cheeks. "Eat your lunch. Have you heard from your parents today?"  
  
"Dad sent an email. Mom sent a credit card bill. You'd think rehab would have a spending cap. Shopping is an addiction too." She sipped her wine. "I want my mom."  
  
"Sweetheart, what's the matter? Am I not enough?" Cordelia opened her mouth to answer but was cut off. "You know your mother will be more trouble out here than in there."  
  
"I know... She couldn't even help me anyway?"  
  
"Try me, sugarplum."  
  
She picked at the sandwich crust. "Nana. Did you ever see yourself?"  
  
Her grandmother turned off the hob and walked to the counter, taking half of the uneaten sandwich resting on Cordelia's plate. "In the mirror?" She took a bite.  
  
"No. Not in the mirror. You know what I mean."  
  
"We don't see ourselves, Cordy. We're here to help others. Seeing ourselves..." Cordelia didn't need her to finish the sentence.  
  
Seeing herself was a bad omen.

* * *

The establishment was dark, the smells unsettling. Cordelia approached the blonde behind the counter. The woman glanced up, boring holes into Cordelia's empty hands. "What?"  
  
"You do readings?"  
  
She tossed her magazine under the counter. "Yeah. $10 for palm reading. $15 for tarot."  
  
"That's ridiculous."   
  
"That's business. You of all people should understand business."  
  
Cordelia glanced behind her, unsure if the blonde was talking to her or someone else, but there was no one there. She slammed a $10 bill on the counter. The woman took it, slipped it into the cash register, and placed a statue of a monkey on by the till. "If anyone tries anything, Ricardo will let me know." She gestured for Cordelia to come around the counter and into the back room that was cordoned off with hanging crystals.  
  
The room was as dark as the main area but smelled better. And the dying September light that was being cast on the hanging crystals created a beautiful sight in the room.   
  
"Take a seat. Place your hands on the cushion palms up."  
  
For two long minutes the blonde woman worked in silence, looking at each hand, first tracing the long lines, then the short one, she then pulled out a magnifying glass.  
  
Cordelia fought to keep her eyes open. The smell of lavender was overwhelming, she felt her eyes beginning to water. And then she felt it. The familiar tingle stemming from her nose and hands, the flutter in her heart. She tried to shake it off., taking deep breaths and counting to five. She became deeply aware that the woman was no longer holding her hands. Cordelia opened her eyes, her breath caught as the woman stared back at her.  
  
"You're not human, are you?" the blonde shopkeeper asked with all seriousness.  
  
Cordelia was insulted. "Yes I am."  
  
The shopkeeper shook her head. "You're something else."  
  
Her anger got a hold of her. "Hey. I'm sensitive, OK. I'm like you."  
  
"I'm not human." Cordelia swallowed. "You need to leave."  
  
Cordelia stood up as the woman moved back out to the shop. "What did you see?" Cordelia asked, following.  
  
"I can't give you your ten bucks back but I can give you store credit." She took out a ledger and a pen.  
  
"I don't want store credit. Just tell me."  
  
The woman looked at her sadly. "You'll die before you turn 30."  
  
Cordelia pulled back from the woman. Slowly she began to nod. "Don't cushion it."  
  
"You're fated to die in the next year."  
Cordelia nodded. "Thanks." And with nothing else to say, Cordelia turned to walk out.   
She stood outside the store until the sun went down and the street lights turned on. Cordelia had expected the outcome. She'd seen it. What bothered her, instead, was the idea that she wasn't human. She'd lived her whole life believing that seeing the future were gifts, given to her to help people in this living hellhole of a town. She hadn't considered that she wasn't human.  
  
I am human, though. I am.  
  
"Miss Chase."  
  
Cordelia turned her head to see Willow, Buffy and Xander coming to a stop next to her. "Kids, hey. What are you doing in this neck of the woods?"  
  
"Oh, uh..." Buffy threw a glance at her companions.  
  
Willow covered for them. "Crystals. I need to stock up on crystals for the full moon."  
  
"I didn't think you bought into that stuff."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Xander asked.  
  
"Uh, crystals." The quartet stood awkwardly on the sidewalk, unsure how to interact outside of school hours and in front of a magic shop no less.  
  
Willow glanced from the shop front to the teacher. "Are you ok, Miss Chase?"  
  
"Yes, Willow, I'm fine. It's nothing that a heavily caffeinated, high sugar content beverage can't fix. Just be careful. It's not safe to walk the streets at night."  
  
"We have ourselves covered, Miss," Buffy held up her hand in the scout's honour fashion and smiled broadly.  
  
Cordelia walked past them. "Have a good night."   
  
She took off down Main street and took a turn down the side street by April's Fools, following the sounds of voices and music, the smells of gorgeous foods and coffee until she came out onto the quay. Most people loved Fridays because of the end of the week but she loved it for this.

The quay was just a fancy name for the docks. It ran from the beach right down to the pier. By day it was sprawling with dock workers and warehouse workers, people renting storage units from one of the converted warehouses. By night kids and adults alike were seen heading into the bronze or heading home from a night of dancing.

But every Friday night for the last 5 years the quay turned into something resembling a festival. Fairy lights ran from end to end, stall to stall, where vendors sold all sorts of everything. On Saturdays some of the stalls were replaced with people selling other things, toys, household goods.

Cordelia turned right and headed down towards the bronze, where The Espresso Pump’s Friday night pop up had its regular place. She navigated teens taking selfies, drunk dudes leering, parents trying to keep their sugar addled kids close by. She acknowledged colleagues and students, but didn't stop to socialise. She stepped in line and waited patiently behind 2 other patrons.

The Espresso pump's location was where the quay lead onto the pier. The music from DJ's and radio's had teetered out and were replaced by the street performers, musicians, comedians, magicians. On the pier, in the middle of the tables provided for the Pump’s patrons was a stage that provided music from local artists and wannabe's. The talent wasn't half bad usually, some of her students would let Cordelia know in advance if they were playing that week and she would make a point of going, buying whatever they had to offer and supporting them.  
  
Right now she was a bit preoccupied.  
  
The blue haired barista greeted her brightly. "Hey, Miss Chase."  
  
"Hi, Alison. What's the largest coffee size you do?"  
  
"Uh, large."  
  
"You don't do, like an extra large or something?"  
  
"Um... No?" The girl looked at her, confused.

"Ok. Can I have two large iced Caramel Macchiatos with 2 extra shots of espresso and syrup each?" She rooted in her pockets and pulled out another $10 bill. When she looked at the barista, she was staring back at her. "Now, Alison. Please."  
  
The barista hurriedly noted the order, passed it along and quoted Cordelia the price. Cordelia handed her the bill. She smiled at the mousy haired girl. "Keep the change."  
  
She waited at the end of the counter for her order, busying her shaking hands by drumming them on the worktop. She rubbed her head as she began to tingle. She cracked her neck muscles and, as she did so, spotted something - someone on the stage. She tried her hardest to keep from smiling.  
  
The coffees came to her and she headed off down the pier, walking between picnic tables until she reached a small round formica table about a dozen meters from the stage. She smiled in disbelief at the performer. If nothing else was going to take her mind off the night she'd already had, a very British Librarian with a knack for acoustic rock certainly would. 

* * *

Giles finished his set to applause and picked up his things. As he walked off the stage, he became aware of someone falling into step beside him. "Yes alright, mock all you--" He turned around to Cordelia, holding two cups and smiling at him.  
  
"I wasn't going to mock you. That much, anyway."  
  
"I thought perhaps you were one of the students."  
  
"Wow, aware of the position you were putting yourself in tonight and you still went ahead with it. I've very impressed."  
  
Giles smirked. He pointed to the cups in her hands "Is one of those a congratulatory present for me?"  
  
"No, these are both for me. Did you want a coffee?" She sipped her beverage as they walked down the pier.  
  
“A little consideration would have been nice,” he jibed. Glancing over at her he took in her demeanor as she went slightly rigid. “I won’t keep pressing the issue, but I can’t help be concerned. I know I don’t know you well but, from what I do know, you don't seem yourself. Is everything ok?"  
  
"Honestly, no. But I don't want to talk about it, so can we drop it?" She was kind in her request but there was no question that the topic was dropped.  
  
"Of course."  
  
She threw him her best coy smile. "But maybe you can take my mind off all my troubles?"  
  
"Oh? What did you have in mind?"   
  
She pointed at her cups with the index finger on opposite hands. "Well, if these were alcohol, I'd need some serious cushioning for my stomach." She turned back, facing the way they came. "Vino's do an amazing creamy pasta."  
  
He followed her. "Is it as good as actually getting it in Italy though?"  
  
"No. But it's the only Italian place in Sunnydale so I'm not going to complain." She took a large gulp of her drink. "But it is better than a lot of the places I've been to in LA." He followed her closely as she navigated back up the pier, along the Quay and out onto the main street, passing the clothes shop, the magic shop, the currently closed Espresso Pump, up to the end of Main Street, taking a turn at the cinema and continuing down.  
  
Giles hadn't really familiarised himself with this part of the town. His free time was mostly spent at graveyards, cemeteries or the library so he wasn't surprised by the quizzical look Cordelia shot him when he inundated her with questions. Thankfully, she didn't question him on it, merely raised her eyebrows and laughed, tossing the empty coffee cups in a bin.  
  
"Too many questions? Sorry. I'll stop."  
  
She slid her hand in his. "It's ok. You might know about medieval weaponry, I know my way around Sunnydale," she replied with pride. Hand in hand, she pulled him up Vino's and pushed the door open with her free hand.  
  
The restaurant was quiet, a few groups of couples or families who were taking advantage of the crowds pouring to the quay. The waitress walked them to a table near the back of the restaurant, close to the window. Giles tried to push down the wave of disappointment tinged with resentment when they reached the table and he had to let go of Cordelia's hand.  
  
The waitress handed them menus as they sat down but Cordelia refused hers with a wave of her hand. "I know what I'm having," she said gleefully.  
  
The waitress held up the menu to Giles. "Do you still want this?" she asked, unsure of the protocol.  
  
Giles shook his head. "I'll trust her decision."  
  
"Two carbonaras and a bottle of Pinot Grigio."  
  
Giles’ eyes danced around the room as he took it in. He wouldn’t call it romantic. It certainly wouldn't be on a busy night. It was quintessentially Italian. But tonight even with the occasional child squealing, he wouldn't be surprised if some of the patrons and staff assumed they were on a romantic date. And he certainly wouldn't be put out by it.  
  
As his attention came back to the table he was slightly caught off guard by Cordelia watching him, her chin resting on her clasped hands. "What?"  
  
"Do you believe in, like, fate?"  
  
He leaned forward, pouring water into her tall glass and then filling his own. "Fate? Like, um, premonitions? How is that book by the way?"  
  
"I'm serious."  
  
He chose his words carefully, as he did so trying to sort through his own thoughts on a topic that were forced onto his life but that he never gave much heed to. "I think... I believe in destiny... There are things we are meant to do in life. Things we have to do whether we like it or not. Our reward comes from the choices we make that have nothing to with destiny."  
  
She frowned. "I don't understand."  
  
He shifted in his seat as the wine was delivered. He spoke as he poured. "Well, suppose I was always meant to be..." Don't say watcher. "...a librarian. I chose to ask you to dinner earlier in the week and now here we are. Fortune favours the brave." He smiled at her as he sipped his wine.  
  
Cordelia ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "But don't you think it's strange. You ask me out, somethings stops it from happening but here we are having dinner together on a Friday night."  
  
"I can't believe that. I can't believe that there is a... A Higher Power orchestrating who I spend my time with when so much of my life has already been chosen for me."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
He'd said too much. Well, Cordelia, like the fact that I was born into a family of Watchers, people who ensure the safety of the world from the forces of evil. Evil like vampires, demons. I work with young girls who are chosen to fight these forces and try to keep them alive for as long as possible even though none of them make it far into their 20s. He chose a safer option. "Well, if 10 year old me had my way, I'd be a pilot."  
  
"Seriously?" She smiled at him, bringing her glass up to her lips.  
  
"Yes. Are you telling me you didn't have outrageous aspirations when you were a child?"  
  
"I wanted to be an actress. Which I did pursue for a little but it didn't work out."  
  
Their dinner was served. "Why not?"  
  
Cordelia twirled her fork around the spaghetti. "Fate intervened."

They threw back and forth tidbits about their pasts over dinner. As the night grew later, Giles walked Cordelia back to her apartment, leaving her with a kiss on the cheek and a smile on her lips as he left. 


	5. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giles lets Cordelia in on the Scooby Gang. Cordelia tells Giles her secret.

_I can't believe I'm in a cemetery at night in this weirdo town._ Cordelia thought back on all the mornings she grabbed the newspaper for the fashion section and spotted a headline claiming another grave had been robbed or someone was missing or another lifeless body was found.

She shivered at memory of the frequent school assemblies where a moment had passed to honour the kids who had died in the weeks previous.

_If fate wants to keep me here, fate is pretty twisted_.

She had been having dinner with her grandmother when the vision hit. It had caught her off balance but luckily she had been standing by the fridge and managed to steady herself. Usually in the company of her grandmother, she played down the visions, knowing that her grandmother was aware of how treacherous they could be. But recognizing the young blonde girl being attacked in Halpern cemetery sent Cordelia off as fast as she could. She didn't bother parking her car properly as she reached the entrance.

She was strolling around, unarmed, for 15 minutes, searching for Buffy. She sighed, unsure if tonight was even the night. It could have already happened. Her visions were so unclear sometimes.

Unlike the scream that cut through the night.

Cordelia ran in it's direction, dodging tree branches and uneven ground effortlessly. _Sometimes, this vision thing is a gift. _

As she came to a clearing, she saw a tall man pressing against a tree and a pair of legs, mid air, struggling against him.

_God, I hope this isn't a new make-out spot._

She ran for the couple, grabbing a branch as she did so. When she reached them, she swung the weapon as hard as she could, aiming for the man's back. He lurched forward, grunted but seemed otherwise unperturbed. He turned and she gasped.

28 years still hadn't prepared her for the affects Sunnydale's drug industry did to it's patrons as she took in the man's yellow eyes, rigid forehead and pointy teeth. She glanced Buffy as she fell to the ground, landing in a crouch. "Run," she ordered the student and began swinging, moving backwards, not sure if she was relying on visions or dance ballet practice to help with her footing. It didn't matter, though. Not when the attacker reached for the branch and snapped it in two, leaving Cordelia with the equivalent of a twig. She cast it aside and turned to run. The attacker swung with the branch and Cordelia felt a sharp burning as it connected with her shoulder before the air was taken from her and she fell full force to the ground.

She grasped her shoulder, feeling the blood seep out of the wound and onto her hand as she tried to scramble to safety.

_Great, Cordy, you're going to die in a horror film. _

But Cordelia Chase was not going to die with her back to her killer; she would face him, stare him down until she breathed her last breath.

She turned around and did just that as he reached down and pulled her up by the neck, leering. He bent down and she realisation hit.

_He's going to eat me alive? Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew_

She closed her eyes shut, unable to watch.

His hand went limp at the back of her neck. She opened one eye a fraction. His eyes were wide in horror. Cordelia's eyes mimicked his as she realised he was slowly turning to dust. Free from him, she scrambled backwards.

When the man was fully disappeared, Buffy Summers stood in his place, a stake of wood held in her hand.

"Oh my god."

"Are you ok?" Buffy knelt beside Cordelia. "You're bleeding."

"What the hell just happened?"

"I'll explain everything." Buffy looped her hand around Cordelia's uninjured arm and helped her stand.

"Damn right you will." 

"But I'm really worried about that wound. It needs to get checked out."

"Fine. You can explain to me on the way to the hospital." Cordelia stalked off in the direction of her car.

"I can't." Buffy stumbled over her words. "I will, but I can't at the hospital. I know someone who can patch that up really super."

"Fine." Cordelia walked over to Buffy, looming over her, calling up the Sunnydale Bitch that still lived inside her. "But I'm only going with you because a) I want answers and b) I'm pretty sure I could take you. You're going to have to drive." Cordelia pulled open the door of the car and slid in.

"Yeah... Yeah... Totally."

* * *

The doors to the library were still closing when Cordelia started shaking her head, taking in Buffy's personal paramedic. "Why am I not surprised?"

Giles hurried from the study desk where he was sitting with Willow and Xander to Cordelia and Buffy. He looked at Buffy. "What happened?" He reached out for Cordelia's wound. "Are you alright?" She pulled away from him with more force than she anticipated, jerking her shoulder. She closed her eyes as pain shot through her.

"There was an attack. Miss Chase showed up. She got hurt," she explained as Willow and Xander joined them at the door

"How did you let this happen?" he asked angrily.

"I didn't _let _it happen. She showed up before I could dust the third vamp. And a good thing she did too: if she hadn't I would have been toast -"

"And as a thank you, you've still neglected to tell me anything? Dust? Vamp? What?" Cordelia threw up her hands in frustration, wincing as she did. "OW!"

Giles reached for her. "May I?" She resisted him. "Do you want to go around not able to lift your arm?" She gave in and stepped towards him, unbuttoning the top of her blouse and dropping her sleeves, angling herself away from the students. Giles studied it, lightly pressing around it. "You three go home."

"Buffy's not going anywhere without answering my questions."

"I owe her," Buffy conceded.

Giles drew his attention away from Cordelia and looked over at Buffy. "You did well tonight. Go home. All of you." Stubbornness was written on Cordelia's face. "I'll explain everything."

He gestured Cordelia to the study table. She went obediently, though suspicious, keeping a distance from Willow and Xander, who followed to pack up their belongings, even as the red head expressed concern for the teacher.

Buffy followed Giles into the office where he rummaged in his table. "Go home, Buffy. Get some rest. There's school tomorrow." He pulled out a first aid kit.

"I will. There's somethings about tonight that you should know. She wasn't the only help I got tonight. I was taking on two of the vamps and this guy came out of nowhere and tackled the other one into the forest before Cordelia showed up. Giles, there's no way they just stumbled on us. And, uh. The vamp that attacked her? I wasn't going to dust him. I just needed to get him off her. Giles, I didn't have a stake. It came out of nowhere and into him."

"Someone shot it? Your mystery man?"

"Maybe."

"Alright. Well, I need to deal with one mystery at a time." He inclined his head out to the table. "I'll find out what she was doing there."

Buffy nodded and left the room. Alone in the office, Giles reached back into the drawer and pulled out a bottle of scotch and a glass. He bid the teenagers goodnight as they left.

Cordelia eyed the bottle of scotch he set before her as he rummaged through the first aid kit. His eyes drifted up to her. "It's not drugged or anything. It's for the pain." He sat opposite her and angled the light to her injury. He pressed the bridge of his glasses up his nose. "...physical and otherwise." He uncapped the bottle, spilling the contents onto a cloth. "This is going to sting." He pressed the cloth to her shoulder and she winced, squeezing her eyes tightly as the pain shot through her. Nausea rumbled in her stomach. She reached for the bottle and took a large gulp of the liquid.

She rested her head in her hand. "I want answers."

"You said you grew up here. You can't have missed the strange happenings in this town."

"Sunnydale has a major drug problem."

"Do you believe that?"

She stared at him. "Why shouldn't I? The chief of police and the mayor have been trying to quell it. The mayor has made some big strides."

"Cordelia. It's not drugs and I think you know that."

"Sooo, alcohol?"

"Have you ever believed in ghosts? Vampires? Zombies?" He watched as her breathing steadied, dabbing at the edges of the wound, cleaning the remnants of the blood. "I think deep down you know that the things that happen in Sunnydale aren't natural." He dropped the bloodied cloth and pulled out a needle and thread.

"Is this going to scar?"

"Not a lot. I have an ointment that will take care of that." He began the history of the town as he began stitching. "The town of Sunnydale was built on a gateway to hell. It's called boca del infierno. Hellmouth. No one knows about the true history of the town, not even the founding fathers. The power of this gateway draws supernatural beings here. It's why there's such a high and mysterious mortality rate."

"So not drugs _or _alcohol?"

He smiled softly up at her. "No." He resumed stitching and continued with the story. "Centuries ago, a group of priests instilled a young woman with extraordinary strength and abilities so that she could protect the world from the evils. In every generation, a new girl receives these abilites. She's known as the Slayer. To aid the Slayers, the priests created an organisation that would provide them with instruction, information, support. We're the Watchers."

"Come up with a more creepy name, maybe?" She looked at him. "You're a Watcher." He nodded gently and she let her eyes fall to where his fingers were gliding over her skin. "You came here the same time as Buffy. You're always spending time together. You freaked when I said she needed to work harder with practice and school. She's the Slayer."

"Yes."

She didn't want to know the answer but she had to ask. If Buffy was holding the weight of the world on her own, she _needed_ to know. "Is there another?" Giles exhaled and paused in his work. She didn't need him to say it. "She's the only one."

Giles nodded. "A new Slayer is called only when the existing one has died."

"You're kidding. That's awful, that's cruel, that's callous."

He dropped the needle and thread, took off his glasses and dropped them too. "I know." He didn't mean to raise his voice. He rubbed his eyes and then ran his fingers through his hair. "Which is why I am doing my utmost to protect her. Which is why I owe you my gratitude." He stood up and cleaned off the table. "How does that feel?"

"Sore."

"Take it easy for a couple of weeks. Let the stitches take hold. No heavy lifting. No stretching for a few days." He carried the kit and bottle back to the office and left them on the table.

Cordelia pulled her shirt back up over her tank top. Spotting the blood soaked fabric, she shrugged it off and balled it up. "Well, I'm glad I wore a cheap shirt." She placed it into his outstretched hand.

"I have some questions for you, too." He tossed it into the bin.

Cordelia weighed up the pros and cons of confiding in Giles. She couldn't tell if she could trust him. Finally, she made a decision. "Ok. But not here."

* * *

She led him down the hallway to her apartment and stopped at the door. She turned around to him, toying with a loose thread on Giles' jacket. As they left the school and headed to Giles' car, he shrugged it off and draped it over her shoulders. She thanked him as she slipped her arms through the sleeves.

"I need to know I can trust you." She tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned against the door.

"I told you a story that would give you every reason to call a hospital or the police. You can trust me."

Cordelia turned back to the door, unlocking and opening the door. She poked her head in. "Dennis?" She turned back to Giles and smiled. "Roommate." Pushing the door back, she led him into the apartment. Giles followed without a problem. She loosed a breath she had been holding since they arrived. 

"Do you want some tea?" Giles nodded. As she pushed open the door to the balcony, he took in the art hanging on the walls, the flowers in the vases, the books lining shelves - books ranging from classics to discussions on premonitions.

A few minutes later Cordelia stuck her head out of the kitchen. "You know how you said no heavy lifting..."

Giles gestured for her to sit as he took her place in the kitchen and carried out the tray she had prepared. He laid the two cups out and poured the tea.

Cordelia hugged hers. "I was 20. I was in LA. Acting. When I was a kid my grandmother was always so strange. She'd say things. She'd be right there, and then she'd seem to disappear and she'd come back, rambling, and then it was as if nothing had happened. She'd have the most horrible headaches. I was doing a play - literally, right in the middle of my lines - and I saw it. Pain. Horror. Fire. I tried to ignore it for months but I couldn't. When I found out that one of the girls in my vision had been killed." She took in his look. "I see things. That's how I knew where to find Buffy tonight. I saw her being attacked. That's why I missed our date. I had a vision and I blacked out. Katrina Beckett was found dead the next day.

Giles had been silent and still but, upon hearing this, Giles reached for her hand. "That wasn't your fault."

"I could have stopped it."

"Buffy could have stopped it. But the vampire was too strong."

"I could have gotten to her in time." 

Giles moved his hand from hers, gliding them up her wrist. "You're a seer."

She smiled sadly. "I guess. Though I would classify myself as a human with abilities. A pretty weak one too. My grandmother dealt with these for decades. I won't make it 12 more months." She glanced up at him. "Probably. I guess if we're being honest... Completely." She stood up and moved to the living room, planting herself on the couch, tucking her knees under her chin. Giles followed her and sat by her side. "I had a vision last week. It was a couple of days after I passed out. I never had more than one a month. It's been getting more frequent over the last few weeks. And then I had two. And if that wasn't bad enough... I saw myself."

"I don't understand." Elbow on the back of the couch, he propped his head up with his fist.

"Slayers are called. They inherit their powers from a line passed. So do I. Like I said, my grandmother had them, her mother before her, and so on. The only woman in my family not to have had them was my mother. I should have become a drunk too." She paused waiting for a chuckle that didn't come. She only got an apologetic look. "A warning comes with it, when the visions are passed down: you cannot see yourself in the visions, your future is never told. To see yourself is an omen of death."

Giles felt his mouth going dry. "Did you see how?"

She shook her head. "You don't see how. But I know... I went to a palmist. She told me what I already knew: I'll be dead in a year."

Before he could stop himself, he moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her, letting her head rest in the crook of his arm. "I won't let that happen."

Cordelia smiled. "You can't stop it. It's my destiny."

"I know people. People who can help."

"It won't stop it," she whispered, drained from the events of the night, pressing her cheek into his arm as her eyes fluttered.

He smiled. "Well, if I can't, you can come back and haunt me." He waited for a response but she was already asleep.


End file.
